The world is not what Riley Kordek imagined. On the run from those who’ve targeted her, all Riley wants is a chance to figure out her new ability to bend metal’s energy. When a hot guy who knows more than he should helps her escape her attackers, she thinks she might’ve found someone who can lead her to the answers she needs.

Three years ago, Sam Remington walked away from his employer and the woman he loved, and now, all he’s looking to do is fill the gaping hole left behind. Except, when Sam takes Riley to the Society for Goddess Education and Defense, the stakes rise beyond what either of them could have imagined.

After being alone for so long, falling for Sam would be far too easy—and far too painful, once his old flame calls needing his help. Worse, Riley uncovers a plot with disastrous ramifications not only for herself, but for Sam and the people he loves—and potentially every goddess in the country.

I had a little chat to Natalie about her writing experience, and this is what she said.

AW: Please tell us a bit about yourself and back ground?
ND: I grew up in Massachusetts and even though I moved away when I was 16 and have lived in Pennsylvania longer than anywhere else, I still consider myself a New England native. I attended Ohio Wesleyan University and barely used my geography and environmental studies degree before finding myself wholeheartedly pursuing a career in fiction. I’ve had a variety of jobs to support that goal while my husband of 21 years and I raised our awesome daughters, the oldest of whom has just started college, where she’s majoring in…writing.

AW: What inspired you to write this book?
ND: It’s the second of a trilogy, so the hero, Sam Remington, is what inspired me. He was heartbroken at the end of Under the Moon, and I had to rectify that! Riley Kordek, the woman he eventually falls for in Heavy Metal, is in many ways the opposite of what he thought he wanted. In Riley, I wanted to explore the life of a goddess from the perspective of someone who never knew that’s what she was.

AW: Describe what the book/story is about?
ND: Riley is an orphan on the run, a goddess who never knew she was one until she came into her powers. She turns to Sam Remington, someone she thinks she can trust, to help her handle her new reality and navigate the world she’s found herself in. Along the way, they discover enemies who threaten far more than just Riley’s existence.

AW: Is there a message in this novel you want your readers to grasp?
ND: My goal is always to entertain, so there really isn’t a message. I want readers to feel like they’ve been on an exciting, enthralling ride with people they’d love to know in real life.

AW: What was the time frame for writing this book?
ND:This one took me about three months to write, which is one of my faster time frames. 🙂

AW: How did you came up with the title?
ND: I have to admit I struggle with titles, but the ones for this trilogy came easily. I called the first one Under the Moon because the full moon is the source of the goddess’s power (though actually, I might have had that as the name of her bar before I realized the moon was her source!). When I knew metal would be Riley’s source, Heavy Metal was a natural title.

AW: Who created your cover?
ND: The fantastic, incomparable Liz Pelletier. I’ve had some great covers so far in my career, but this one is my favorite.

AW: Hardest part for writing this novel?
ND: Revisions! Kerri-Leigh Grady and Danielle Poiesz, my editors, were determined to pull the best book possible out of me, and they worked me hard. 🙂 I’m glad they did, because I’m very happy with the result!

AW: How did you find your publisher/agent – if self published, why did you choose to self publish?
ND: I had gone through a few submission cycles with the first book in the trilogy, even one set with an agent. The book got a lot of great feedback but was rejected over and over because it was too “in between.” Too evenly split between romance and urban fantasy. When Entangled Publishing announced it was open for submissions, there were some things that intrigued me about the ownership and the approach to publishing, so I submitted, was rejected, submitted a different book, and sold right away. I currently have 5 books contracted with them and hope to have many more over a long career!

AW: What was your biggest learning experience/surprise throughout your publishing process?
ND: Heavy Metal was the first book I’d ever written after contract. That was pretty nerve-racking, not knowing what they would think because they had no clue what the story would be until I sent it, and both sides were committed at that point. But Entangled and its editors are so professional and so good at working with the author to develop the book that it was a very rewarding experience.

AW: Do you have any other novels out there? If not, what’s next?
ND: Heavy Metal is my 12th published novel. I have a long backlist that includes some contemporary romance, a whole bunch of steamy romantic novellas, and my more recent romantic adventure and paranormal romance. More can be found on my website at http://www.nataliedamschroder.com.
The third book in the trilogy, Sunroper, will be out in December, and I have two romantic adventures coming out in November and February (A Kiss of Revenge and Hearts Under Siege).

AW: When did writing become a passion?
ND: I didn’t know it at the time, but probably when I was about six. 🙂 I was a voracious reader from a very young age, and after some time in school being told I was a good writer but hating the task, I realized that when it was fiction, it wasn’t so distasteful. LOL As far as writing for my career goes, I think it became a passion the day I first sat down to complete a novel.

AW: Is this a series? If so, tell us a bit about the books planned.
ND: Heavy Metal is the second book in the Goddesses Rising trilogy that ends this winter with Sunroper. In Sunroper, Marley Canton seeks to redeem her mistakes but uncovers a threat to the goddess community far greater than any they ever faced before. She has to team up with someone who shouldn’t be an ally in order to protect them all.

AW: Any advice for other writers?
ND: I always say that if you can quit, do it. This is a hard, ever-more-competitive business, and the only people who can make it through are those who *have* to. If writing comes from deep inside you, quitting is never an option.

AW: Anything you would like to say to your readers?
ND: Always, always thank you! Thank you for reading, for reviewing, for telling me what you liked and even what you didn’t like about my books. I am always fascinated by what a reader brings to the experience and what, therefore, she (or he) gets out of it.

AW: Favorite Authors?
ND: Way too many to name! Some new ones I’ve gotten excited about lately are Christi Barth and Kalayna Price, and I’m really into YA authors Jus Accardo and Melissa West. Jody Wallace is someone I’m always ready to snap up when she has a new book, and the upcoming releases for Entangled Ignite promise I’ll be adding many more to my list. 🙂

AW: Favorite Books?
ND: I almost never re-read books anymore because there are always great new ones coming out or added to my TBR pile/file, so my answer is always Harry Potter. I always did those in audio, and I relisten every year.